Runelords 47.0 - The Enchanted Dance Hall
Luna, as she stood waiting with her gun ready for Lucretia to return to the central room, hoping to somehow make her into the sacrifice she needed, heard someone approach from behind her. Turning, she saw the dark-skinned woman from earlier: Artraxius, the commanding evoker who had gone to speak with Avazeen. Luna made to pay her no mind, but she would not be ignored, especially with the sight of the ruined statue of Alaznist stirring her rage. Artraxius demanded to know what had happened, and Luna flippantly explained that a man had come running out, leading the drake away before using the statue to block the hall of evocation. In a fit of anger, Artraxius began to desecrate the nearby statues of Karzoug and the Lirxana, the Magelord of Abjuration, before turning her attention to the blockage. When it became apparent that she could not easily cut her way through, she banged violently on the stone until she got a response from the wizards on the other side. She screamed at them to 'get her helm'. Artraxius turned on Luna again, whose disdain and flippancy was painfully obvious, demanding to know what the state of Alaznist's nation was back in the world; she did not believe Luna when she said that Alaznist and her ambitions both were well and truly dead. Artraxius also demanded to know who it was that had stolen the evokers' prey, the drake, and who had defaced the statue of their leader; Luna casually denied her the information, but easily told her that she had come with seven others. She personally admitted to being allied with the Magelord of Necromancy, which earned a scoff from the evoker, and explained that she was there to hunt down the servant of Karzoug; one of the others was likely a servant of Illusion, based on where she had dashed to, and the rest were 'unaligned idiots'. Artraxius, when denied specifics of the target of her ire, declared vengeance on all of the newcomers; Luna shrugged her off, wishing her luck and 'bonus points for the cat'. At that point, another wizard teleported into the center of the room, wearing a huge, ostentatious helm adorned with horns and a pelt; taking the helm, the commanding evoker teleported away with her subordinate, leaving Luna alone in the hall once more. Meanwhile, Virgil had gone down the hallway of enchantment to find very fine stonework punctuated with false windows made to give off a shimmering light. A decorative bridge led to a fancy door upon which he knocked. It was answered by a doorman in a masquerade outfit; Virgil, keying into the fanciness and formality of this wing, introduced himself almost regally and explained his business: that he stood against the schemes of the Magelords of Necromancy and Transmutation, and required the assistance of the one in charge here. The doorman accepted the gravity of the situation but insisted that he first meet the dress code. Virgil was led to a change room equipped with every luxury required to make oneself presentable. The doorman left Virgil in the care of another masquerading attendant, and Virgil tipped him for his trouble. Taking the opportunity to relax and center himself, Virgil spent a solid hour or more primping, shaving, styling and applying makeup. Leaving a tip for the attendant, he returned to the doorman where he was informed that the mistress of the house was occupied currently, but he was more than welcome to join the party currently being held until time could be made for him. Virgil agreed and checked his bag at the coat check before entering the main hall. Seeing the party, Virgil became immediately suspicious of the lavish surroundings and the numerous guests. The more he squinted and focused, the more he seemed to see the edges of illusions layered over the party to increase its grandeur and size. Shaking it off, he could see the tiered nature of the room and immediately resolved to walk to the top: it was the most likely place for those in charge to be, and he certainly wasn't going to wait for an appointment to open up in a place without time. Trying to be mostly subtle, Virgil managed to walk his way to the second-highest tier before a waiter stopped him. The man informed him quite firmly that it was unacceptable and rather rude that he, a newcomer, should be up here without invitation, without having distinguished himself to the inner circles, and that he would need to follow him immediately back down to the lower tier where he belonged. Unwilling to take the loss, Virgil argued broadly and performatively, subtly appealing to the crowd that had become very interested in the social ruffling; he used his story-telling skill to appear intriguing and desirable, appealing to the party-goers in an attempt to wheedle the needed invitation. Some seemed interested in hearing more stories from this new man, others wished him removed, while a good number remained silent, unwilling to risk their reputations on the matter. Two in particular, a woman in a sheep mask and her partner, a tall man wearing the mask of a goat, were vocal: the woman was intrigued, and the man wished him removed. The woman won out though; with her formal invitation to come and speak further, the waiter bowed and left, satisfied. Virgil gladly wove tales of epics for her and her eavesdroppers, framing stories of ancient heroes with his own fantastical exploits in learning of them. After some time, she smiled and praised him for his oration; she hadn't chosen poorly, it seemed. Virgil grinned in turn and took the opportunity to invite her to dance, for he had more than one skill. The pair of them were exquisite dancers and the crowd parted for them as they displayed their talent. Virgil whispered to her that surely they belonged at the highest tier and she smirked, telling him to watch and see how it was done. She took the lead and their wide, spinning dance took them to the stairs as they twirled. Everyone watched their performance, and when they finished, they stepped up onto the higher platform to take a bow. As the crowd clapped, they took their place in the higher tier uncontested. Virgil smiled and quietly thanked his partner, as the pair sized up their new surroundings at the top. As this happened, Khyrralien had already moved into the back room with the three demon-like hostesses. They led him to a boudoir and sat him on a large pillow as the three surrounded him sensually. Lilith, the one he had originally spoken to, sat across from him and continued to address him as her sisters Eve and Mary flanked him, toying with him and slowly removing his clothes. A magical aura about them was distracting, but Khyr did his best to maintain focus. Lilith spoke indirectly, eventually revealing that this was something of an initiation process: the Magelord required agents within and without the Runeforge, and lately those numbers had been dropping. Khyrralien countered that Valparaiso had been gone for millennia, but the women laughed it off: the greater facade might be gone but the framework remained and the agents of the Magelord were still at work. Khyr gleefully agreed to the initiation and was bidden to prove his magical prowess: he did so by Dominating one of the sisters at his side, telling her to 'get on her knees', as it were. As the woman began to pleasure him at his behest, Lilith smiled, approving of the type and skill of his magic. She gave him one last chance to back out, which he laughed away; Lilith smiled as she joined the orgy, saying that the line of the Mistress Devine would be continued. The magic coming from the three women was overwhelming, and Khyr lost himself in the sensations.Category:Rise of the Runelords